Method for transferring fabric portions



Sept. 24, 1940. g 2,216,066

METHOD FOR TRANSFEREING FABRIC PORTIONS Filed April 28, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 24125 Gee/ w- Sept. 24, 1940. cEcKA 2,216,066

METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING FABRIC PORTIONS 1 Filed April 28, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fm en/ar; 4 5 0607220.

Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR TRAN SFERRJN G FABRIC PORTIONS Application April as, 1939, Serial No. 270,646 In Germany April 28, 1938 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method for transferring fabric portions from one flat knitting machine to another flat knitting machine.

According to a known method of this kind, the fabric portions to be transferred and having the transferring points in the midst of the fabric are run on special transfer needles provided with pointed hooks, whereupon in the line of the running-on course the portion of the fabric extending upwardly is turned downwardly about the transfer needles so that the fabric portions folded against each other in the running-on course hang on the transfer needles. The further transfer of the fabric portions upon the needles of another machine then may be effected in a well known manner.

In carrying out this method according to which the fabric portions are transferred in the well known manner with the heads of the loops extending upwardly and with the wrong or rear side of the fabric facing the operator engaged with the transfer and with the front side of the fabric directed towards the transfer machine, diificnlties are encountered in so far as on turning over of the fabric portions extending upwardly a certain interlacing of the loops occurs in the running-on course, whereby besides loop accumulations, unfavorably altering the loop diagram, special difliculties, due to tearing of the transferred loops, arise in taln'ng up of the running-on course by the transfer bar.

If the running-on course is knitted in a well known manner as a slack or loose course the danger of tearing of the transferred loops may be somewhat reduced, but the loop construction of the fabric at the point of the change-over between the transferred fabric portions and the fabric portions to be knitted on is rather poor.

According to the present invention all these drawbacks are removed by the fact that the fabric portions are transferred to the transfer needles with the loops resting on the head and with the wrong or rear side of the fabric directed towards the transfer machine so that on turning the upwardly extending fabric portions about the pointed hooks of the transfer needles the heads of the loops of the row of loops lying above the running-on course are caught by the pointed hooks and therefore the row of loops lying above the running-on course hangs on the transfer needles.

A further feature of the invention consists in this that the running-on course is formed as a slack or loose course and as a separating course, whereas the row of loops arranged above the slack course is knitted in the normal fashion.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the turned wale shifted rearwardly as far as behind the groove of the transfer needle,

Fig. 4 is a view showing the known take-up position of the tickling-oil needle upon the transfer needle,

Fig. 5 is a view showing the known tickling off position of the tickling ofl. needle upon the transfer needle,

Fig. 6 is a loop diagram showing a fabric portion run on the transfer needles during running on in the well known manner with the loops extending upwardly,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the fabric portion shown in Fig. 6 after the operation of tuming over has been effected,

Fig. 8 shows a loop diagram of a similar fabric portion according to the invention with the loops resting on their heads, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the fabric portlon shown in Fig. 8 after the operation of turn-. ing over has been carried out.

The fabric l to be run on is transferred in the row of loops 0. upon the transfer needles 4 provided in a well known manner with grooves 2 and pointed hooks 3 with the loops resting on the heads and the face or front side of the fabric directed towards the operator carrying out the transfer and with the wrong or rear side of the fabric directed towards the transfer machine. The row of loops (1 preferably is formed as a slack or loose course and as a separating course. If the so transferred fabric is shifted towards the pointed hooks 3 it may be turned in the hooks forwardly and then downwardly, whereby the heads of the loops of the normally knitted row of loops b arranged above the row of running on loops a are, as shown in Fig. 2, caught by the pointed hooks and after turning over has been eifected hang on the transfer needles 4. Thereupon the fabric in the turned over condition is, as shown in Fig. 3', shifted rearwardly upon the transferneedles until behind the grooves 2. As may be seen from Figs. 4 and 5 the tickling ofl' needles 5 of the tickling off bar take'up the' and transfer same in a well known manner not shown in the drawings upon the needles of the other machine in order to knit on row by row the desired fabric portions to the transferred piece of fabric.

From Figures '7 and 9it is to be seen that by the method claimed in the present application the drawbacks of the known methods are obviated. with the loops extending upwardly a cer tain interlacing of the loops in the running-on course occurs as shown in Fig. 7 which, as may be seen from Fig. 9, is obviated by the method claimed as new in the present application.

As a normal row of loops is run on the needles of the other machine an invisible change-over of the fabric is obtained after the desired fabric portions have been knitted on.

The method described is particularly adapted for running pieces of fabric of any desired width on machines for the manufacture of smaller pieces of fabric, for instance for transferring a piece of fabric from a legging machine on a heelingmachine for the purpose of knitting the heel fabric I to be run on in the turned over condition flat knitting machine in which the fabric portions to be transferred and provided with transv ferring lines in the midst of the'fabric are run on transfer needles provided with pointed hooks, whereupon in the line of the running-on course the portion of the fabric extending upwardly is turned downwardly about the pointed hooks and the turned over fabric is transfered in the usual manner to the other machine. the steps of transferring fabric portions to transfer needles with the loops of said portions resting on the heads and with the rear or wrong side of said fabric directed towards the transfer machine so that on turning upwardly extending portions of said fabric about'the'pointed hooks of said transfer needles, the heads of the loops of the row of loops arranged above said running-0n course are caught by said pointed hooks so that, after effecting .turning over, said row of loops lying above said running-on course hangs on said transfer needles.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which said running-on course is formed as a slack or loose course and as a separating course, whereas said row of loops arranged above said running-on course is knitted in the usual manner. 

